Return of the Ring
by Books and Chocolate
Summary: Full summary inside. Contains MM slash.


**Disclaimer: I own the plot, any new, unfamiliar characters to you, and places in between. The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are brilliant pieces of work written by the beloved J.R.R. Tolkien, and only in my mere pipe dreams do I own it. Oh, well. A girl can dream, can't she?**

_The Return of the Ring_

**Note - You know what I hate? Fictions that start out with the main character just dropping into Middle-earth. And before you leave me a review telling me that I did the same thing, DONT. Because I was reading a few fictions for LOTR, and I realized how many fictions started off like that. And then I was like, hey! the reason why nobody reviewed was because they had basically seen the same thing about fifty cajillion times. So, I deleted Ever After, and rewrote a whole new fic-- but I kept the character's name (Athea) the same because I was really fond of it, and I couldn't think of anything else. Haha. So, here is my NEW fiction, and I would really appreciate it if you dears would review it. I strongly welcome flames if you have any; this is my first LOTR fic-- and yes, I have read The Hobbit and all three LOTR books. But be subtle about it. **

Summary: Galadriel, Lady of the Wood, had a daughter, Athea. More powerful than her mother, and more beautiful than most would ever see, Athea embarks on a quest with the Fellowship to destroy the One Ring. As the journey deepens, and the plot thickens, your favorite characters find themselves in the midst of a war-- between themselves. Athea's powers are growing-- and so is her heart for the handsome Legolas, the Elf-Prince. Lies, betrayal, death, love, angst, lust, and a bit of comedy show that the Fellowship can be easily broken-- and not by the power of the Ring. (Contains M/M Slash. If you don't like, don't read. Thanks.)

_**Chapter One: The Secret**_

_Note: This fic is AU. Takes place before the Two Towers._

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-Flashback-

_The rain pounded into the grounds of the Wood, beating its small water bullets against the trees and the flowers. It trickled between stones along the streams, down the silvery curtains of the home of the Lady and her husband, and over the din of thunder and Elf-music, the cries of a new-born baby were heard. A baby girl._

_The mother- Lady Galadriel- cried tears of joy as her daughter was laid into her hands. Already, traces of a deep beauty were seen, and a serene feeling seemed to be emanating from the child._

_Her nose-- small. Startling, strikingly beautiful sea-green eyes, light, fair skin, and instead of the brilliant blonde that many Elves had had before her, there was a thick patch of curly dark brown hair on her head. The lips-- red, and full. Skin so smooth, you'd think it was silk, the finest silk, made by the Elves._

_But she was a baby. An Elf-baby, and a beautiful one at that._

_But a dark, nagging feeling tugged at the mother's heart, and with much regret, she handed her daughter to a maid._

_"Hide her," she whispered._

_Thunder shook the palace, and then everything was dark, silent._

_"But--"_

_"Hide her. I don't want to see her." The sound of her own shaking voice made Galadriel want to cry. This baby- her baby- was going to be hidden away, kept secret, for that is how it was meant to be._

_Lightening streaked the sky, lighting up the baby's face._

_Galadriel looked away, and shut her eyes._

_"The Voice came to me- when I was in the garden. Just--" her voice faltered, and then she started to sob. She tore her eyes away from her daughter. _

_Thunder blared out across the land again, but the baby's cry could still be heard over it, and then echoed when she was gone._

-End of Flashback-

Athea, not knowing why she was sent to see her mother, quickly left her chambers, gliding across the grounds. As she went, nods were sent at her-- though they knew not who she was, they knew of her power, and her beauty thrilled all. A fluttering feeling crept into her stomach and settled there. Her hands trembled as she grabbed hold of the wooden banister that seemed to go up and up into the very heavens themselves.

Of course, Athea really wasn't paying very much attention to the breath-taking scenery, and it wasn't like she hadn't seen it before-- she had, twice before. But something seemed to be different this time; the air was thick with tension, and though usually she was strong, determined, and focused, now she was afraid; something just didn't seem to be right.

"Mother?"

Oh! how the sound of the very word made her knees buckle. She wasn't really able to say the word much; she never saw her mother, and now, now the word made the little hairs on the back of her neck stand.

Her mother, Lady Galadriel, appeared. Something seemed to glow inside of her. Her white, silky dress that just touched the ground gave her a transparent aura, and the golden, silky locks made her beautiful face appear almost sad.

Athea bowed, touching her forehead, and closing her eyes.

"Up, daughter. You need not do such things in front of me."

"Perhaps not," Athea agreed, "but it's not my fault that I hardly see you, is it?"

She blushed, looking away.

Athea felt horrible. That wasn't something you say to your mother, whom you've only see twice before.

"The Fellowship has arrived."

Athea was silent, confused. She had heard of their coming from whispers and conversations she had eavesdropped on when she felt sure no one knew she was there-- well, how could they? When she didn't want to be seen, she became invisible. She didn't use it for evil purposes-- maybe once, but usually she tried not to use it; sometimes she couldn't get back to being visible again.

"Who are they?" That was all she could ask.

Galadriel turned to look at her daughter, masking the adoration and love in her eyes. She became strictly business.

"Four Halflings-- hobbits. Frodo Baggins, the Ring-Bearer; Samwise Gamgee, his Gardner; Peregrin Took, and Meridioc Brandybuck, Frodo's cousins. Then, for the Dwarves, Gimli, son of Gloin, Boromir of Gondor, Legolas, prince of Mirkwood, and Aragorn, son of Arathorn: Isildur's heir."

"They bring a great danger by coming here," Athea said, turning to look out of the window. "It is not safe."

"Our borders are well-protected."

Athea said nothing to that.

Instead, she faced her mother again.

"So, what do they have to do with me?"

"I'd like you to accompany them on their quest to destroy it."

"You want to get rid me of me?"

"No. But you would suit them well. Frodo is becoming more acquainted with the Ring day by day, and soon, it will corrupt his heart. He is a strong hobbit, but none can escape the power that tugs at the heart."

"I want to meet them."

Galadriel nodded.

She held out her hand.

"This way."

Athea followed her mother, both her heart and mind racing. She had no idea what she was getting herself into. Part of her wanted to turn back right now and hide herself underneath the Elf silk on her bed, but a bigger part was hungry for this adventure. She wanted to get out of the Wood-- there was nothing here for her but lies. No one, except her mother and father, knew she was her daughter. And she didn't want to live her life like that.

But now! oh, now she could make something of herself! Now she'd be able to have her adven--

She stopped.

There they were. Four Halflings. A Dwarf. Two Men. An Elf.

Her eyes immediately flew to the Elf, Legolas. For a moment, but only just, she felt dizzy, light-headed. Not sure what this feeling meant, she looked away.

"New comers into this land, you know me already, but here, here is someone whom you have yet to lay eyes on. This is my daughter, Athea."

"What?" she yelped, then covered her mouth with her hand.

Her mother looked daggers at her.

Athea shook her head. Was she crazy? What was she playing at? Any other day, she'd be trying to conceal it the best way she could, and now she was practically telling strangers! She would have to remember to talk to her about this.

She shook her head to clear her whirling mind. She looked over at Frodo-- well, she thought it was Frodo, anyway. Dark brown hair, piercing blue eyes, and a trembling figure. His eyes looked pained-- like he had been carrying a burden for quite some time.

She smiled slightly at him, but as their eyes met, a voice-- a strong, hissing, snarling voice-- flew across her mind.

_Athea...daughter of the Lady...kill her! Kill her! KILL HER! _

Startled, and a bit frightened, she looked away, realizing that the Ring, or the essence of Sauron had somehow gotten inside her mind, or had gotten inside Frodo's and she had been reading his mind without realizing it.

"Lady-- the Company and I hear you will be joining us. Is this true?" Aragorn asked, stepping forward.

"You doubt this?" Athea saw a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes.

He looked down.

"What you hear is true," she replied, then looking at Boromir. He didn't meet her eyes. She detected a sort of fear there, but also a need, a want, a feeling that seemed to be devouring him with great ease; he put up no fight. He wanted the Ring.

Legolas, whom had been staring at her for some time, didn't look away when her eyes stopped on him. He gave her a slight smile.

She didn't return it.

Instead, she looked at the other three Halflings. They were scared-- but they were tough for hobbits, she decided, good comrades in this sort of business.

"I will leave you to speak amongst yourselves," Galadriel said, and slid easily away.

Athea looked at Sam, who had, up until this point, had given off a want as well, but this want was unlike the one of Boromir's. This want was a loving one. She concentrated, wanting to find a source for this. She looked at his eyes-- but they were longingly fixed on Frodo.

Hm. How strange.

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_Yes, I know. A pretty crappy ending to a chapter. But tell me what you think anyway. _


End file.
